Baby rats and cleaning cages...

[xdeus]

I clean my rat cage once a week, but one of my females recently had a litter. I didn't want to disturb her too much for fear of the dreaded cannibalism, but I did remove the other male and female from the cage and put them in a separate cage. However, I'm wondering how long should I wait before I clean the mother's cage? At what point can I stop worrying about the mother harming the babies?

[daniel1983]

Speaking with only mice experience here

how long to wait with mice?......ha ha....until the smell gets to be too much or a week and a half....which ever comes first

I figure rats would not be as bad since mice tend to be fairly common baby eaters..

Rodent mothers tend to keep their nests very very clean. So if you don't want to disturb them but you would like to 'tidy up'....go ahead after a day or so.

If I need to clean enclosures before the week is up, I usually do it by setting up another enclosure for the mom and babies....they just kinda 'transplant' the nest and babies all at once into the clean enclosure.

[SatanicIntention]

Rats don't usually canibalize their young. Mice are the ones more prone to it. I would just wait a good 48 hours before you move her, but try to take her whole nest and not just the babies. Just scoop the whole thing, bedding and babies, and place in a cleaned enclosure or temp tub.

[xdeus]

Thanks for the quick responses! I'll probably wait until cleaning day this Saturday to move them (they'll be a week old by then). I didn't realize that mice were more prone to that than rats. Good to know being that I have mice, too. I've actually had mice for a lot longer, but no luck in the baby mouse department. I started off with 3 females and two males, but I think I fed my "good" male and kept the eunuch. Someone mentioned to me that male mice will actually try to castrate one another. I'm not sure if that's the case, but it seemed to be true for mine. Either that, or I just ended up with a mouse that pitches for the other team.

[Adam_Wysocki]

When I help out at my buddies rat barn, we clean every single tub, every Friday regardless .... I've moved female rats that were actually in the process of having their litters and they were fine.

As long as the mom is set up in a birthing tub, I'd think that she's pretty much bullet proof.

-adam

[TekWarren]

just to add a little personal experience to what's already been said... I've never had an issue cleaning a tub with new pups in it. If I'm that concerned I'll clean around the nest rather than let it get super nasty and smelly. I may let it a couple days longer than cleaning day but it probably isn't necessary. I just move them with the female when cleaning a tub with new babies in it.

What better to way to warm honey than with a handfull of warm newborn rats!